versão On-line ISSN 2078-5135versão impressa ISSN 0256-9574

SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.101 no.11 Cape Town Nov. 2011

Deon Rautenbach was born in 1950 in Roodepoort in the then Transvaal. His father was a general practitioner who later specialised in general surgery. His mother was a physiotherapist.

He matriculated at Welkom Gymnasium in 1967. He started his university training with a BSc degree at the University of the Free State in 1970, followed by an honours in zoology in 1971. He finished his medical training in 1976, followed by an internship in Vereeniging.

Deon practised as a GP in Bloemfontein from 1978 to 1988 and during that time also received an MFamMed degree. He then decided to specialise in dermatology and received the MMed in Dermatology 1992. He worked as a dermatologist in private practice in Bloemfontein until weeks before his untimely death on 4 September 2011.

Deon was a very modest man with a wide variety of interests and hobbies. He played tennis on a weekly basis until a pain in his right leg led to the diagnosis of a pathological fracture of his femur, caused by myeloma.

He had an interest in history and geography and spent time reading on these subjects. He had a large coin collection and also enjoyed building model aircraft and boats. When he was younger he built a full-scale sailboat which he used on a nearby dam.

Deon was very much involved in his community, trying to improve and uplift his neighbourhood, and served as the chairman of the local policing forum.

Deon will be missed by his wife Dalene, sons Frans and Karel, daughter Estie, colleagues, tennis buddies, patients and community.